I was once eating in a restaurant with some co-workers in Prague, and it
came time to leave. We wanted the check. In that setting, this would have
been a meaningful sentence (in convoluted punning English) addressed to
our waiter…
Aristotle identified three types of friendship - friendships of association, utility
and virtue. Who were you “best friends” with in early school years?
Do you keep up with your old co-workers? Who has hurt you deeply, yet
you still wish them the best?
But that said, read it (while you can?). If you can get past
contemporary hangups about the “wrong” words being used you will
find one of the most powerful statements in all of human history
that “Black Lives Matter”. Stowe visited Lincoln in the White House
in 1862, and there is a possible apocryphal quote by Lincoln that goes
“So this is the little lady who started this great war.”
Over the years you pick up useful ideas from people. One of the most
useful “project management” ideas I’ve ever encountered is
Can I get the job done by doing nothing?
Use the code you already have. Use existing slide decks. Time is
scarce. Don’t waste it creating something new when something you
already have will do the job. Don’t spend hours getting a slide deck
to %100 perfection when what you really need to do is talk over some
ideas and the existing material is sufficient to spark conversation.
I’ve been reading Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. I’m trying to have a
positive effect on the things and people I can actually change (myself
and my own reactions in this moment). Below are some quotes along
those lines from Longfellow, Bob Dylan, the Apostle Paul and Reinhold
Neibuhr, some of classics of “Don’t worry, be happy”. Now if I can
just internalize some of this…
This is the view from White Rocks 13 miles north of Harpers Ferry. In
the fall you can see the colors (leaves changing) creeping down the
mountain because it’s colder as you go up. Here you can see spring
creeping up the mountain.